JOHNNY TOUCH (Eng.)

– Hola, gracias por responder a nuestras preguntas. ¿En qué estáis centrados ahora mismo?

Hey there, Ramrod and Denimal here, vocalist and drummer of Johnny Touch. Thanks for giving us the time!

(Ramrod) Well, we’ve just recently played Black Conjuration Fest here in our home town of Adelaide. It’s an annual two night metal fest that showcases a multitude of bands from around the country, and more recently attracting international acts. It is mainly catered to more extreme styles, but not exclusively. This fest marked the end of a two year live hiatus for us, though actually it was only our third gig we’ve ever done in this band! The reason it’s been so long between drinks so to speak, is that our bass player InPHILtrator, was seriously injured in an accident back in 2012 (his love for the more curvy ladies just got out of hand!), and it’s been a long road to recovery for him since. We decided to wait it out, as it just didn’t feel right for us to get in a session player. In the meantime however, our parts for the recording of ‘Inner City Wolves’ was completed, and by the time InPHILtrator began his rehab, everything was ready and waiting for the bass lines to be completed. Like a trooper, that bass was back in his hands in no time and the album then quickly finished and mastered! Now things have returned to a sense of normality for us, we’re back to focussing on our live show, getting ready to promote the imminent release of Inner City Wolves by Shadow Kingdom Records. We have some dates lined up away from home later this year and early next year, so we’re looking forward to getting out on the road. We’ve also begun writing new material for our next slab of heavy metal. It’s all systems go!

2- First off, could you make some history of the band?

(Denimal)Johnny Touch began as a slow burn project in about 2008 or so. I had been writing in this style for many years, but not enough to warrant a serious attempt at forming a band. It started with a singer, Sam, whom sings on the demo ‘Fight For It’, along with bass player Damon Good (StarGazer, Cauldron Black Ram, Mournful Congregation) helping me out to get the demo done without causing myself a hernia. Anthony Till (Demon’s Gate, Sacriphyx, also wrote a couple of guitar solos to flesh the whole thing out. After the demo was released on Abysmal Sounds Productions, things changed. Demands increased and I knew I had to find driven members. Jamie joined the band and that’s when writing got serious. InPhiltrator (formerly a violinist) picked up bass guitar, out of his sheer unbridled lust for heavy metal, and joined the band. Soon after that Sam Marsden dropped out of the band due to a preference for a stand-up comedy career, and that’s where Ramrod pushed his way in and made the band as it is today. Unstoppable. Bitches.

3- How could you describe your sound?

(Ramrod) Melodic, dynamic, catchy, in a nutshell, traditional heavy metal man! For myself, it’s a return, or rather an embrace of the classic early 80’s era. A time when there wasn’t any of the ongoing, continual breakaway sub genres. A time when there was only heavy metal! It’s the music we grew up with, and will always be a part of us.

4- What are the band’s main musical influences?

(Ramrod) Vocally, the four main heavy metal singers that I have always looked up to are Ronnie James Dio, Rob Halford, Bruce Dickinson, and King Diamond. What these guys have in common is their own individual mastery of power and expression, of which in my opinion, Ronnie is the king! Up until recent times, I’ve always been, and still am, a death metal singer. To try and sing the way these guys do, I feel like a child just learning how to walk! Really, I’ve only been at this way of singing for roughly the last 4 years, and I feel like I’ve had to force myself to their level in such a short time. I’ve a long way to go, I know, but my passion for this is an unquenchable fire! Musically speaking, in a nutshell, I’d say the NWOBHM is a good influence on what we do, and others, such as Randy Rhodes era Ozzy, Dio, and early 80’s heavy metal in general.

5- How is the feedback for your new album being?

(Ramrod) At the time of writing this, the album has yet to be released, so we haven’t had any reception for it as yet. August 19 is the official release date from Shadow Kingdom Records, and we’re really looking forward to seeing it get out there. Some digital promo copies have just begun circulation, and we are starting to receive a little feedback with a review or two, but it’s still early days yet.

6- And are your personally satisfied with the final outcome?

(Ramrod) Indeed so! This album has practically been two years in the making, and we’re stoked that it’s finally being released. It has definitely given us a sense of achievement! Of course, at the end of the day, you’re always gonna be thinking “Oh man, I wish I did that, or I wish I did this”, but that’s the joys of being your own worst critic!

7- How could you describe this opus in just 3 words?

(Ramrod) Hmmmm…. Pure. Heavy. Metal! Jeez, actually, this is kinda hard hahaha.

8- How has the production process for your new release been?

(RamRod) Because of our being out of action for so long, the process unavoidably did take some time. Initially, the bulk of the sessions were completed early on in just a few days, recording in both a studio and in our own home studios. Once InPHILtrator was able to pick up the bass again, the album was quickly finished, mastered and ready to send to the label. Up until now, it’s just been a matter of waiting for the album to finally come out.

9- And how do you use to work on the songwriting?

(Ramrod) It’s usually a case of bringing riff ideas to the jam room, and spending time developing them until we’re happy with how it turns out. The vocals and lyrics are worked in after the music is completed. We sometimes give the songs working titles before the lyrics are fleshed out. Most of the time actually, the lyrics will take shape based on whatever the title the song was given. Songs like Bitch of a son for instance, was named merely using a play on the phrase, but it eventually morphed into a song about a hermaphrodite serial killer. Yes, you will find some odd subject matter coming from us from time to time, hahaha.

10 – Finally, what are you near-future plans?

(Ramrod) Once the album is out, we’ll be wanting to get out there and promote it as much as we can. We’ll be playing the Steel Assassins fest in Sydney at the end of October this year, and we also have 2 dates in New Zealand booked for the end of January 2015. In between, we’ll also be continuing the writing process. We’re aiming to have enough material for the next album by the end of 2015.

11- That’s all from our side, thanks again for taking your time to answer our questions. If you now want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Thanks again for the interview! And a big metal hails to everyone out there supporting Johnny Touch! Once again, August 19 is the release date for Inner City Wolves through Shadow Kingdom Records. We’ll be heading to Sydney for the Steel Assassins fest on October 31st, and we’ll be heading to New Zealand in January ’15 for our first time abroad. We can’t wait, and it’ll be great to cathc up with everyone there! Stay true, and feel the metal embrace!